Hi everyone as you may expect, I'm new to the site and new to the cosplaying world. I've always wanted to cosplay, but never knew where to start or how to create my costume, so I'm looking for mentors or just future buddies that could show me the ropes.

As someone who has been a part of the community for a while, starting out can be intimidating. I recommend joining cosplay networking sites like Cosplay.com; they are great for getting advice from all levels of people in the community. Look up threads on popular cosplays for help or start your own discussion looking for help!

Also, forums on these sites often have threads where cosplayers attending a certain convention or who all live in a certain area arrange meetups or open photo gatherings at cons which anyone can join. JOIN IN! These meetups and photo gatherings are a great way to meet other cosplayers who live near you or who enjoy the same series as you. Ask the cosplayers you meet how they did certain things you want to learn; organize smaller private groups with those you meet who seem interested, and slowly you will build up a network of cosplaying buddies that you can learn and grow with. The people you meet can introduce you to other people and your network grows from there.

This is how I met almost all of my cosplay friends, and we've built some great friendships and learned a lot from each other!